Ghoulishly Good Halloween Snack Mix

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Servings: 40
Yield: 40 servings

Description

Candy eyeballs and candy corn turn this sweet and savory snack mix into a Halloween party hit starring peanut butter pieces, Cheez-Its, popcorn, and Bugles!

Ingredients

6 cups cone-shaped corn snacks (such as Bugles®)
4 cups cheese-flavored crackers (such as Cheez-It®)
4 cups popped popcorn
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup butter
2 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 ounce vanilla-flavored candy coating
1 (7/8 ounce) package candy eyeballs
1 (11 ounce) package candy corn
1 (12 ounce) package candy-coated peanut butter pieces (such as Reese's Pieces®)

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 255 degrees F (124 degrees C).
2 Combine corn snacks, cheese crackers, popcorn, and pretzel sticks in a large roasting pan.
3 Bring brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour syrup over snack mixture in the roasting pan; stir to coat.
4 Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring to coat every 15 minutes.
5 Line a countertop with waxed paper. Spread snack mix into a single layer on top.
6 Place candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth and place a dot of melted candy on the back of a candy eyeball; attach to a corn snack. Repeat with remaining eyeballs.
7 Transfer snack mix to a large bowl. Stir in candy corn and peanut butter candy pieces until incorporated.